Sports

How Hockey Players Are Creating Abundance on the Ice Rink Through Meditation

Article by Zhang Xinyue of Create Abundance

Ice hockey is known for being a high-octane full-contact game full of fast skating, big collisions, and even the occasional bout of fisticuffs. In order to perform at the highest level on the hockey rink, players must have a strong level of mental toughness to deal with the danger and intimidation that is part of the game.

Hockey and meditation are two things you don’t often hear in the same sentence. However, hockey pros have turned to meditation and a mindset of creating abundance to deal with the most mentally taxing parts of the game.

College hockey coach Grant Standbrook explained it this way, “If you’re walking down an alley and you’re accosted by two thugs, your natural tendency is to tighten up all your muscles and hold your breath, and that’s the last thing you want to do. You want to be relaxed, you want to be calm and you want to be breathing properly so you can think clearly and handle the situation.”

In light of this, NHL pros such as Mike Komisarek and Christopher Higgins have turned to meditation to increase their mental fortitude. Meditation trains you to have the right mindset so that you can approach dangerous situations with focus and calmness instead of fear, ego, or anger. This is an essential skill to have even in a game as rough and challenging as ice hockey. It can mean the difference between victory and defeat when tough and talented teams go head to head.

Zhang Xinyue is the author of the book Create Abundance. The book is a collection of Teacher Zhang Xinyue’s words of wisdom concerning body-mind-spirit cultivation. Originally published in 2012, it has remained a best seller. It has been translated to numerous languages.

Do You Need Special Clothing for Meditation?

There’s a never-ending list of things to do and never quite enough time to do those favorite pleasurable activities. Many of us feel guilty if we spend too much time relaxing. Instead of feeling guilty about the time we spend in worry-free enjoyment, we should actually relish it.

The need to simply relax has become so prevalent in all societies that techniques like Yoga have become quite popular, along with Zen Gardens where you can meditate and find tranquil inner peace. Meditation is now popular for people in every profession including athletes.

Zhang Xinyue has written a book called “Create Abundance” with wise sayings, such as:

“An enlightened one lives a life as others do on the surface but it is different in essence for every moment embodies the budding of wisdom.”

Though you do not need special clothing for meditation, it might improve the quality of your time if you could be more comfortable. You don’t need a whole wardrobe. Just a few items will work great to start with. We’ve listed a few of our favorites below.

This dress could be worn anywhere:

This shirt is soft and adorable:

These pants are so soft:

You could wear these shoes around the house:

Zhang Xinyue has other quotes from her book:

“Growth is neither what you can wait to attain in a deep valley as a hermit, nor what you can find on the other pure land after you die.”

Top 2 most influential athletes

Article submitted by David Guillod.

Professional sports are always fun to watch because not only do you get to see outstanding athletes perform at the peak of their game, but you also get to see history in the making as well. Athletes of any sport train rigorously to reach new heights and give it their all to get that “W” on their record. Particularly, two athletes stand out to me as iconic: Pete Rose and Bo Jackson.

Pete Rose

Pete “Charlie Hustle” Rose is a former professional baseball player who has played for numerous teams throughout his career, including the Cincinnati Reds where he thrived. He was awarded the title of All-Star 17 times and was able to win 3 World Series Championships throughout his tenure as a ballplayer.

I genuinely believe Rose is the greatest baseball player to have ever played the game. With over 4,000 hits, meaning over 200 hits for each of the 20 years he played in the big leagues, it may be possible that his staggering record will never be broken for a long time.

Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson is one of those rare once-in-a-generation athletes that excelled at numerous sports. He starred in both football and baseball, which garnered him major attention. In fact, he is the only athlete to be given the title of “All-Star” for both sports, which is simply amazing when you look at it. The athletic and strategic skills necessary to perform at such a high level throughout the years requires not only discipline but an unbreakable body and spirit.

Unfortunately, Jackson suffered a major setback when he broke his hip in 1991. After this unfortunate incident, he was unable to continue competing at a professional level. This accident justify him with a fractured hip bone that caused him to ultimately retire from football. Despite these unfortunate circumstances, it is important to point out that throughout his career, his blue-collar work ethic and grind was always at 100% no matter the odds stacked against him. This speaks volumes about his character, which is why I decided to place him on my list.

David Guillod is an accomplished talent agent and film/TV producer who has steadily built acclaim through movies like Atomic Blonde and TV series Louder Milk, which has won multiple Golden Trailer Awards. He has also held senior positions at Handprint Ent., United Talent Agency, and Primary Wave Entertainment. Visit David Guillod’s profile on Instagram.